The South West Regional Authority, in association with the EU Committee of the Regions, has hosted a major international conference on "Knowledge Based Regions in the Information Society - the Role of Broadband Technology in Securing a Vibrant eSociety" in Killarney/Ireland on April 5th and 6th.

To date, ESA Telecom has launched three rounds of the Start-up Projects Initiative to help Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) enter the satcom sector. Previous results have encouraged ESA Telecom to expand and refine the scheme to build on the initial successes.

The Irish Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources together with the Telecommunications Industry Federation in Ireland have announced plans to fund Irish schools' access to broadband with 18 Million Euro.

The latest workshop for projects from the Start-up Initiative will be held on the 22nd and 23rd of March 2004. Its purpose is for SME's that have or almost have completed their projects to exchange experiences with those companies that have begun or are in the middle of their projects.

A presentation detailing the structure of the ESA Telecom Programme Line User Segment for the current ITT has been made available to companies. The public presentation, scheduled for Monday 1 March has unfortunately been cancelled.

The Southwest Regional Authority in Ireland is holding a Pan European Union Conference from 5 to 6 April under the title "Knowledge Based Regions in the Information Society - The Role of Broadband Technology in securing a vibrant eSociety".